The Side of Life
by Yami Insomniac
Summary: Who knew, that they would choose you.
1. Pre Chp

The small girls eyes lit up as she closed the slender box and smiled at teh boy sitting with her,

"I'll wear it forever." she said happily, eyes dancing as she clutched the box against her chest portectively.

Then everything faded away and the girl was in another place.  
She was a few years older now, and surrounded by adults that seemed preoccupied by something of importance.

"Please? Why can't I go?" she pleaded, her eye's almost in tears as she gripped the necklace she was wearing far to tightly.  
No-one seemed to care, if they noticed at all.  
Why couldn't she come? She wanted to say goodbye to grandpa to.

"You'll understand when your older."

Those words echo'd as the girl found herself falling back into the past again, from years before.  
She watched in horrified silence, wishing her body would elt her move, she wanted to help!  
She stay where she was left, hidden from the terror not far from her, far to scared to move.  
Unfolding before her eyes was a bloodbath, and though her memories had been blurred over by tears, time, and emotion, she remembered clearly the slaughter of her best friend.

Suroundings evaporated gain, into days after that horrific event that no-one knew she witnessed.  
Relatives had arrived to salvage what was left of their families possessions,which ended up only being a car and the necklace that had been given to the girl,and to take care of teh funeral arrangements.  
Though they seemed far more interested in hte necklace then anything else.

"No!" the girl cryed out, clutching the item around her neck protectively as she fled down the hall to her room.  
It was all she had left of her best friend, and she had promised him to never take it off. No matter what.  
Her sobbing drowned out the adults arguing outside her door.  
Guilt and memories filling her mind, tears came freely down ehr face.

"Sean!" the girl called out as she bolted upright in her bed.  
She was 16 years old now, and still dreams of her memories haunted her.  
Closing her eyes and pressing her palm against her forehead, she tried to calm her breathing.  
She was covered in a cold sweat, her long brown hair matted to her head, and she could still feal tears in her eyes as she slipped her feet over the side of the bed.  
A shower counded good right about now.


	2. 00

After her shower last night, Ariona hadn't even tryied to go back to sleep.  
Vivid memories still played in her mind, there clear images haunting her in her wakeful state, she didn't want to see what they'd do while sleeping.  
she elready knew what they'd be,..

So here she found herself, pulling into the parking lot at school, without sleep.  
Rubbing her eyes she groand and shoved her car door closed.  
Stupid mornings.

"Ariona." came a familiar voice.

Sighing Ariona turned a smile to her friend Noriki,

"Suprised to see you here before third period." she teased.

"Your one to talk Ari. You look like the living dead."

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" a wide grin spread across Ariona's face, as Noriki stuck her tongue out, unamusedly.

Both girls shared a laugh as they shoved open the doors and made their way into the crowded halls.

"But really, was it those dreams again?" Noriki asked, turning back to a more serious tone.

Ariona closed her eyes and sighed in annoyance, though she couldn't blame her friend for worrying.

"Let's just leave it fornow. It's way to early for this."

Noriki grabbed her friends are, forcing her to come to a stop and turn around.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and though her voice was full of concern, seh wasn't staring at her friend, but at the small marble like pendant that hung around Ariona's neck.  
Noriki was convinced it was cursed, or something on the equivilant.

Ariona's wide grin returned at her friends ability to walk into such easy teasing.  
Though, she almost felt bad, her friend was being all concerned over her.  
Almost.

"Yes I'm sure you pervert. Now lets get to class." she chuckled, playfully giving Noriki a quick shove as she started walking again.

"B-wait, what?" Noriki blinked a couple of times in confussion before the comment fully set in.

"Ariona! I am not. You _know_ I don't swing that way." she growled, hurrying to catch up to her now running friend, who promptly dissapeared into their classroom in a fit of manical laughter.


	3. 01

By the time lunch had rolled around though, Ariona was by far past ready to go home.

Though it wasn't her class's that drove her to this, no she liked her classes.

It was the people.

She couldn't stand them.

Muttering something about the jock's from her last perios as she neared the caffiteria brought on the attention of her friend Zackery as he hurried to catch up to her.

"What about our quaterback?" he asked with slight interest.

Zackery wanted to play on the team, and would likely do very well, but for one detail both he and Ariona figured wouldn't go over very well if found out.

"Stop gawking." Ariona commented as they crossed through the sea of table and people.

He was gay.

A fact very few knew, and Ariona planned to keep it that way. Dounting it would be excepted by the general population of the school.

"I'm not gawking." Zackery shot back as Ariona scooped up the nearest thing to her and threw it at him.

"Didn't say anything." Ariona chimmed, still smiling as Zackery caught the napkin that was throw at him.

"You think th-"

"No." Ariona stated before Zackery could finish as they sat down.

Zackery frowned, and waited for an explination.

"He was dating Trish before she found Kyo."

So Trisha was Ariona's source of information on this.

"Damn." he sighed as he bit into her sandwich.

It didn't take long for more of their friends to show up.

Norikimade a wonderful grand enterance with one of ehr classical clutz attacks, and taking out two tables on her way down.

Never mind the countless chairs and people aorund the tables.

Anthony had arrived in time to see the event, and helped Noriki to her feet again.

"Cheeseburger." Ariona chimmed playfully making fun of Noriki's last name, as she often did.

"What? I didn't fall." Noriki replied grinning

"Sure you didn't. The table attacked you." Anothony stated as everyone shared a laugh.

They where soon joined by Izayk, but as Kyoshiro and Trisha entered, Kyoshiro waved, but was quickly dragged to the opposite side of the room.

Trisha didn't like to associate with their group while at school.

It kind of annoyed Ariona how Kyoshiro would let himself be dragged off like that all the time though.

It made her question their friendship sometimes, with the things that would soemtimes happen.

The rest of lunch went well, asside from Ariona almost instigating a food fight.

Which one could bet money on her not gettin caught in the blame for.

Everyone at their table was kind of dissapointed it didn't happen, wishing something would finnally happen around them other then boring normal life.

The last two periods kind of blurred together for Ariona.

There only being someone she knew in one of them, and without Noriki around, she and Kaoru didn't care to associate with oneanother.

His choice, and Ariona didn't care anymore.

Shoving her books into her bag Ariona was in no hurry as she left the school, since she really didn't care to deal with the parking lot traffic of everyone rushing to leave.

Pulling out her key's Ariona stopped and tilted ehr head, looking around a little before spotting her car.

"That's not where I parked."

"Fine then. Ari! Make Izen take a ride."

Ariona turned her attention from her moved car to her yelling friend.

Figuring she'd just been to tired to remember where she'd parked that morning.

Anthony and Noriki where standing with Izayk as he waited for her bus to arrive.

His bus was always late, making it the last bus to arrive, and it took forever for it to get him home.

"You want a ride Izen?" she asked,

Izayk shrugged, "I'm okay, I'll wait."

"No. No you won't wait, because Ari's here, and has a car perfectly capable of taking you home faster then a hot and sticky slow crappy bus." Anthony rambled.

Ariona gave a chuckle as she listened to her friends, shaking ehr head.

"Lets all go pick up some slushies." she said, tugging on Izayk's arm.

"I guess so."

"Horray!" Anthoy cheered/

"Air, did you move your car?" Noriki asked curiously,

"No."

That confirmed it, her car had moved.

But both girls let it drop at that, adn Ariona just shrugged it off for hte time being.

Letting the company of her friends drown everything else out.


	4. 02

After having watched Ariona and her band of misfits leave, Kaoru had climbed into her Tundra and taken off in the opposite direction.

"Failed to grab it again?" asked a gruff voice, though there was no-one else in the blue truck other then Kaoru.

Kaoru's eye's narrowed, he was in no mood to chat.

"At this rate that scrawny blonde will get it first, and you know where that leaves you."

"Shut up Coldedge. I know what I'm doing."

Coldedge simply laughed.

Kaoru never did like the the truck, or his additude.

He like less the situation he was in.

At least he was ahead of Trisha.

She may have been closer to what they wanted, but he doubted that she knew that.

He doubted alot of the blondes intelligence.

Coldegde pulled to a stop at the red light Kaoru tensed as the passenger door came open.

He scowled coldly as Trisha lifted herself into the seat beside him.

"Get out of my truck." he stated, his tone matching his icy gaze.

Trisha simply ignored him as the door closed behind her,

"Megatron wanted to see both of you."

"Let her get there herself then."

Trisha scofted and gave Kaoru a dark look,

"If you don't like it, you walk."

"It's my truck."

From the football feild, Zackery had glanced up in time to notice Trisha climb into the familiar blue tundra.

He watched curiously as the truck drove away, why did she hop into Kaoru's trunk?

Didn't they hate eachother?

He made a mental note to ask one of them about that later.

Fornow he was far more interested in what he had been paying attention to before hand.

Watching football practice before his own ride arrived.


	5. 03

Ariona yawned, rubbing her eyes's and shaking her head a little, trying to shake off the tiredness that tried to take her.  
While hanging out with everyone had been fun, they'd stayed out until almost midnight, and now she could really feal her exaustion setting in.

"Just a little farther." she muttered to her now empty car.

"Huh? What are they doing at this hour?"

Glancing out over the mountain's Ariona peered the lights still rather far away.  
Through her open window she could hear what sounded like a choper.  
Assuming it was likely just a search and rescue or something Ariona didn't pay it much thought.  
People where getting lost up in the mountians all the time.

Nor did she think anything of the headlights approaching her from behind, and from oncoming traffic, despite the hour.  
It wasn't strange for people to be on the highway at any hour.

The chopper still seemed to be getting closer, and out of curiousity, and lack of being able drive and watch with how tired she was, Ariona pulled off to teh side of the road.  
Climbing out of her car she tried watching the chopper, but her attention was deverted to the vehicle appraoching from teh direction she had come.

"Fucking high be" as Ariona tunrned to look at the oncoming person, mostly in frustration she blinked and scrambled to get out of the way of the speeding truck that smashed through her small car.  
Ariona managed to get out of the way of the truck, but tumbled into the oncoming traffic lane.  
Off balance, and half laying on teh pavement, there was nothing Ariona could do to get out of the way of the oncoming car.

Seeing the side of the car rushing towards her as the driver tried desperately to stop, Ariona closed her eyes, unable to watch, and bringing one of ehr arms up instinctively.

She heard a strange noice, felt the wind rushing past her, and then felt teh ground shake as something heavy crached into it behind ehr.  
Slowly opening her eyes, Ariona didn't see a car infront of ehr anymore, and turning aroundfound herself unable to breath.

There, standing on the now damamged road, just like out of some anime or soemthing, stood a giant robot.

"Are you alright?"

It spoke?  
Ariona could only blink, there was a giant robot talking to her.

"It looked like it was going to say more, but something else caught it's attention first.  
Turning back around Ariona watched as the truck that had nearly killed her came to a stop nearby.  
Wait, she knew that truck,..  
As if on cue, the trucks door openned and Kaoru stepped out onto the pavement.  
Ariona had regained her sense's now, and was on ehr feet, headed straight for her schoolmate.

"Wosrt, what's the-" Ariona stopped and stared as teh blue tundra before her changed before her eyes.  
Becoming another of teh large robots.

"You know nothing.: Kaoru sneered at her/

Coldedge stared down the bot near Ariona.  
He didn't regognize it, but presumably it was an sutobot.

"You look confused Coldedge."

"Who are you Autobot?"

"Not an Autobot."

Ariona was slowly backing up, but stopped.  
She had giants talking robots on either side of her, a schoolmate standing with the one that had tried to kill her, and her car was totalled.  
Glancing at Kaoru she noticed that he seemed unnatureally calm about all this as he watched ehr.  
He normally kept himself reserved, but this was different.

"What's going on Kaoru?" Ariona asked, letting the giant robo's voices drift past without really listening.

Kaoru smirked aroggantly , she'd always had disliked that 'better then you' additude he had towards everyone.

"Your death. What's it look like?"

Ariona didn't know what to think.  
This was to much for her to take in at the moment.

"-o she dies!" movement caught Ariona's attention back to the tundra as looked to find his fist comign straight at her.  
Unable to move Ariona simply screamed, more in suprise then terror, but she was deinately afraid,

"No." a large mechanical hand came down infront of her, roughly sendign her flying backwards as the robot from behind her rolled over her in the air above, and took the full force of the trucks blow.

Ariona bumped and rolled a few times before skidding to a painful stop.

"I thought you didn't care if the Autobot's got the orb." Coldedge growled, almost sarcastically.

"I don't, but I'm not going to let Deseptijunk have it either."

Ariona clutched her head as she worked on sitting up.  
Everything hurt.  
Watching those two she wasn't sure what to think, other then, a giant robot was trying to kill her.

She watched as Kaoru came around the fighting pair, and ran straight for her.  
Scrambling to her feet she knew she couldn't fight him, nore could she outrun him, but like hell she wasn't going to try.

Taking off down the road Kaoru was gaining ground quickly, but it was putting more ground between them and the robots.  
Kaoru laughed, but it was almost completely drown out as a helicopter passed above them.  
Low enough that the wind from the blades whipped violetly around them, sendign dust and debree from the roadside into the air.  
Was that the chopper from earlier?  
Maybe it could help her.  
Turning around Ariona froze, noting that the chopper was no search and rescue.  
That was a military helicopter.  
A well armed military helicopter.  
Comign back aorund it seemed to lurch in the air, contorting strangely as it emittedthe same strange noise as the other robots had.  
Ariona took off into a feild beside the road.  
All she could think of was getting away from all of them.

A sudden explosion sent her flying back.  
Climbing to ehr feet she turned to face Kaoru, and a little farther back she spotted a third robot.  
Presumably the helicopter, and presumably the thing that had just shot at her.  
Wait, if there goal was her death, then why had that shot missed?  
Ariona's headache matched the pain her body was receiving, and she just wanted to be away from all of this.  
She needed to clear her head and rest.  
Saddly, she doubted she was going to get any of the kind of rest that she would want.

Narrowing her gaze she glared Kaoru as he approached.  
Without her running he apparently found no need to hurry, or perhaps it was teh giant robot backing him that gave him that confidence.

"No, you stay here."

Ariona's gaze slipped to the helicopter robot as it spoke, it's voice seemed quite feminine compared to the two from earlier.  
Her attention didn't linger though, as it didn't seem the robot was speaking to Kaoru.  
Was there another person there?

"Becasue,-" the robots words where cut off as an explossion erupted near it, and a car whipped past it's feet.  
Turning around the helicopter seemed mad,

"Watch where your firing coldedge." it snapped snapped irratibly.

"I am. You stay out of the way." came teh voice of the truck from earlier, though it wasn't really in veiw.

"So your firing at me? Yo-" the helicopter now seemed more interesting it arguing and attacking the toehr robot, then in advancing on Ariona ona now.

Kaoru growled as he watched this and the advancing car.  
He and Ariona watched as the car sped past Kaoru, sliding to a stop infront of Ariona.  
Placing itself between the two.

The door openned and Ariona backed away.

"You'd better go with him, before those two come to what little sense's they have."

Ariona stared hard at Kaoru as he spoke, an explosion landing not far off, as if to accent his words.  
His tone implied he had other motives for her words, and she was certain hi did.  
Reluctantly she approached the car though, slowly slipping inside.

"See you at school."

Ariona closed her eye's and slumped agaist the seat.  
Kaoru hadn't lost her, they both knew that.  
That's why he let her go, and that she doubted he could take on a giant robot alone.  
He had other plans anyways.  
Always other plans.

Ariona's head hurt, her body hurt, she wanted to cry, she wanted a hug, a bubble tea.  
She wanted to be away from those things.

As if letting her collect her thoughts, the car remained silent as it drove down the roads.  
Ariona hadn't really been paying attention to where, she didn't care.

"Take me home. she finally stated, looking with unfocused eye's out a window.

"They-"

"I wasn't asking." Ariona snapped.

She was in control of nothing, knew ntohing, was riding in a robot that for all she knew might wnat to kill her as well.

"Well it's a bad plan. We're not going."

Ariona tried the door, but the lock snapped down.

"Are you suicidal? Go home and they'll find you."

"That's my choice."

"They'll kill you."

"Like I have any assurance you wont."

"I saved you!"

"I don't know why!"

The car growled in frustration, but if it had more to say Ariona beat him to it.

"All I know is that giant robot's showed up, tried to kill me, totaled my car, my schoolmates in on it, and you all want something that I apparently can give you. You could be using the situation to get close to me, so you can get whatever it is y0our all after for yourself. Since apparently your all not against blowing teh drap out eachother anyways."

"Stop comparing me to those Desepticons!"

"What else do I have to compare you to? E.T.?"

"Who?"

"Oh never mind, I-crap. I hope those are friends." Ariona grumbled. crossing her arms and slouching down as she matched more giant robots and cares appear on teh road ahead of them.

"You could call them that." the car mumbled, and Ariona go the impression he wasn't impressed with seeing them either.  
She tensed more at that fact, but they where still headed towards them, and slowing to stop.  
She took note of them as they arrived.

There was a yellow camaro with a set of black striped, a silver subaru, a tall red and blue robot, and a mostly yellow robot.

"Recon, you've got Ariona Aishai?" spoke the red and blue robot.

"No thanks to you all. They almost totaled her back there." the car she was seated in spoke, sounding rather aggitated and angree.

"Recon, we-"

"Stop calling me that. My name is Rayn."

Ariona noted the door was unlocked now, and quickly slipped out of the car.  
As soonas she was safely out it transformed.

"Rayn." the large robot sighed, "We need to get her to safety."

"Hey! I'm right here. Stop talking about me like I'm just some slab of meat." Ariona stopped and realized all eyes where on her.

"My appologies." the red adn blue robot spoke, moving down towards her. "I am Optimus Prime."

Rayn shifted protectively, but didn't stop the toehr robot.

"We are autonomous robotic organisms, from the planet cybertron. We first came to Earth is search of teh all spark, but alas, that was lost to us. Destroyed while fighting the Desepticons."

"Then what's this have to do with me?"

"You hold the key to finding-"

"Whoa, no. No. I don't want it."

"That's not something you can really change now." the subaru cut in, in a tone much lik eht tundra from earlier had had.

Ariona glared at teh cilver care, getting a vibe from it, that caused her to gain a great dislike for the thing, though she wasn't sure why.  
Not one to judge someone by a first meeting Ariona chose to keep ehr comments to ehrself fornow.

Looking back up at Optimus she found he was also looking at the subaru, and not looking very impressed either.

"Mr. Prime, I don't know what you problems are,or why it has to involve me, but for right now, I'm going home." that said Ariona turned around adn started walking, not caring what any of them had to say about it.

Everyone standing with Optimus began to protest.  
Raising a hadn Optimus shook his head.

"Quiet, all of you. Everyone trying to speak at once isn't going to accomplish anything."

Turnign to follow after Ariona, Optimus was then blocked by Rayn.

"Rayn, mvoe. This is no time for games. The girls life is in danger."

"You forget who just saved her life, when you adn your possy of idiots wheren't going to make it in time."

"Rayn, why can you not understand? W-"

"I do understand Prime. I also understand now, that if you chase her like this, she'dd never help you." Rayn turned away from them all, but continued talking "Give her some breathign space prime, she's just had a rough night."

Raun paused and turned to stare the toher down,

"Rayn we have to protect her from the desepticons."

"I'll protect her, like you failed to do, but I'm going to protect her from tjeh like of you all aswell."

With that Rayn transformed back into a car and rushed off to catch up to Ariona, who had gotten suprisingly far up the road.

"Do you want us to go after them Prime?" asked the yellow robot.

"No. Fornow we will leave the girl with Rayn."

"Prime," the Subaru began to protest.

"Calm yourself Nocturus. I never said we wouldn't watch."

"You really think we should?" the yellow car asked,

"If Rayn is correct, pushing the girl will be counter productive."

"I say we just take it, before teh Desepticreeps do." Nocturnus butted in.

"That would make us no better then them."

Farther down teh road, Ariona and Raun heard nothing of the Autobos converstation.  
Rayn was slwoyl following along side Ariona in silence.

"How long do you plan on following me?" Ariona finnaly asked,

"Until your safe."

"Well don't. I don't want your help."

"I never asked you if you did."

"You can't make me help you."

"I'm not asking for your help, but for someone who doesn't want to be told waht to do, you sure do give alot of orders."Rayn finnaly snapped, and in disgruntled silence Ariona kept walking.  
She had at least figured out where she was.

"Listen Ariona, it's a long walk home from here and-"

"So? You got problem with how long it's goign to take, leave." Ariona spat out, and for awhile, they continued in silence.

That was likely worse.  
Not Ariona had nothing to ditract her from her body catchign up to her, and trying to give out to it's exaustion.

Ariona's vision was blurring, her body hurt and was tryign to give otu on her, she felt sick, her mind was spinning, which didn't help her headache, among countless other things.

Rayn was kinf of impressed at how far Ariona got before she came to a stop with a sigh, trying not to stumble.  
Rayn pulled to a stop just ahead of her, his door openning.  
Ariona glared at him, and didn't move.

"I'm not telling you to do anthing."

For hat seemed like forever Ariona didn't move, nor did she speak.  
She weighed her options and finally moved towards the car, pausing at the door.

"Just till I'm safe?" she asked

"Just until your safe."

With that Ariona climbed in, crawling into the back seat, and against her liking, promptly passed out.


End file.
